We went through our own reviews properly rather than picking out the flattering ones. What follows is what people actually write about, in rough order of how often they raise it, with the complaints included.
What comes up most, unprompted
The canvas arrives rolled, not folded
This is the single most mentioned thing, and it surprised us, because it is a shipping decision rather than a feature. Roughly one review in nine brings it up without being asked.
The reason is that the alternative is genuinely bad. Folding a primed canvas puts creases across the picture that do not paint out and generally do not iron out either. Several people compare ours directly to a kit bought elsewhere for a relative that arrived folded with lines through it.
Rolling costs more to ship. We had never thought to mention it. Customers mention it constantly.
It is calming, and specifically not television
The second most common theme, and the wording is consistent: kept me busy, calm and focused. A great stress buster. Rather than scrolling on my phone all night.
That last phrasing turns up often enough to be worth taking seriously. What people seem to value is not that painting is relaxing in the abstract, but that it is an evening that leaves something behind. We are not going to dress that up as a health claim. It is a good way to spend a Tuesday.
The brushes are better than expected
Frequently praised, usually in the form of much better than the plastic ones I have had before.
With an honest caveat that also appears: a handful of reviewers find them too coarse for the very finest sections. If a design has a lot of tiny areas, a single detail round from a craft store solves it, and we would rather say that than oversell what is in the box.
It gets given as a gift
Mothers, daughters, mothers-in-law, teenagers, an uncle, a nana. Gifting runs through the reviews all year, not only in December, which is not what we would have guessed.
The paints arrive wet
Rarely mentioned, and only because buyers do not know to look for it. The pots are vacuum-sealed, which is why they are moist when you open them rather than skinned over. It matters more than it sounds like it should.
What people complain about
These are real and recurring, and there is no point pretending otherwise when the reviews sit directly beneath the product copy.
The numbers are too small or too faint
The most common complaint by a wide margin. Needed a magnifying glass appears repeatedly.
The numbers are printed pale so that paint can cover them, which is necessary and is also exactly why they are hard to read. What helps: buy the 16x20 rather than the 12x16, since the printing scales with the canvas; use the 11x17 reference print instead of squinting at the weave; put a lamp beside you throwing light across the canvas rather than an overhead light; and keep a magnifier on the table without feeling odd about it. We wrote up the full version in painting with low vision.
Not for beginners
Said often. Also, roughly as often, people say it made a great first kit. They are describing different designs, and both are correct.
Difficulty is per-design, not a property of the format. Summer's Song, Be Still, Hummingbird, Away From It All and House Near the Lake are the ones recommended as first kits. Seaside Paradise, Golden Hour and Mountain Village are the ones people say to save for later. More on what makes a design difficult.
The unframed canvas is trimmed close
A recurring and unresolved one. There is not much margin around the printed image on the unframed version, so stretching it over your own bars afterward is awkward. Mounting it to a board works. If you know it is going on a wall, the framed size is the simpler purchase.
A heavily used color runs out
Predictable on dense designs, where one green or one gray covers half the canvas. This is why matched replacement sets exist for every design. If a pot has only thickened rather than dried solid, a drop of water and a stir usually brings it back.
Pale colors do not cover the numbers
Whites, yellows and pale blues. The answer is two thin coats with drying time between them, not one thick one. A thick coat dries with ridges and uses paint you will want later.
What we changed on this page
This article previously offered a free kit in exchange for posting I love painting by numbers on social media and tagging us. That promotion is not running, and it has been removed. There was no closing date on it and no terms, which meant a years-old page was still making an open offer. If you posted expecting a kit, get in touch and we will sort it out.
It also said each kit reproduces a painting by a famous artist. It does not. Our designs are licensed original artwork by living painters, and we have no reproductions of famous paintings in the range.
If you want to see finished ones from real customers rather than product photography, the customer gallery is the place. The full range is here.
